Humana and VTVT Collaborate to Prevent Veteran Suicide

2018 began with a new partnership to stop veteran suicide with Humana. This is the second year the Vet to Vet Tennessee (VTVT) began the new year with a new partnership to prevent and stop veteran suicide. Last year on January 3, 2017 VTVT provided our Smoky Mountain Home/Hospice Care with VTVT’s evidence-based Veteran Specific QPR suicide prevention training to all six of their offices.

On January 4, 2018 VTVT trained Humana staff at the Knoxville TN office at the request of Air Force Veteran and Community Manager Nikki DeFillipi. VTVT trainers were Don & Shery Davis, Freddie Owens and Ed Junod.

VA epidemiologists and other subject matter experts in the field conducted analyses of suicide data. The data showed that an average of 20 veterans died by suicide each day, 6 of the 20 were recent utilizers of Veterans Health Administraion (VHA) services—in the year of their deaths or the previous year.

The risk for suicide was 21 percent higher among veterans when compared with U.S. civilian adults after adjusting for differences in age and gender.

This a great opportunity to reach the majority of the high risk suicidal veterans and active duty military who do NOT utilize the VHA.

We are honored and grateful that Humana has accepted this challenge to find and save the high risk veterans/military in the civilian health care systems.